Arteta has history with Barcelona, having come through the La Masia academy before making 42 appearances for the Catalan giants' B team – but quickly rubbished rumours about his return as a manager when he addressed reporters ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Nottingham Forest.
Barcelona coach Xavi is bidding farewell this summer (Image credit: Getty Images)
“What you read yesterday, I don’t know where it’s coming from,” Arteta said. “It’s totally untrue and I’m really upset about it.”
“I could not believe it. I don’t know where it’s coming from, it’s got no sources, it’s got nothing and I think we have to be very cautious when we talk about personal things, to put it in the way that it was put yesterday.”
Asked why he was so angry, he added: “Well, one is the consequence of the other. First of all, because I’m really cautious of when I talk publicly about my personal things, and when someone puts out a statement about what I said or did, it is upsetting.
“I understand that we are in this industry, and the second one is that no-one deserves to hear that in news like that.
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Mikel Arteta grew up as a Barcelona fan (Image credit: Christopher Lee - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
“I’ve always been really straight, and I will say completely the opposite [to that] of how happy and grateful I am, and how much I enjoy where I am right now, so that’s the reason why I’m upset.”
Arteta’s forthright dismissal of an Emirates departure will be welcome news for Gunners fans. Under the Spaniard, Arsenal are once again title contenders and looked set to end their Premier League drought last season until stuttering with the winning line in sight. The 41-year-old has led Arsenal to one FA Cup and two Community Shields during his tenure and remains happy in north London.
“I’m in the right place. I’m with the right people, I feel really good about it and, as I said many times, I’m immersed in a beautiful journey with this football club, these players, this staff and our people and I’m investing still a lot for them.”
Andy is a freelance sports journalist whose work has appeared across a number of print and online titles, including Golf Monthly, Eurosport and TNT Sports. He graduated in 2019 and began his career working in golf before joining Future in February 2021 as a staff writer for Golf Monthly. Andy has since decided to branch out into other sports and now covers football, rugby, snooker, UFC, Formula 1, boxing, and others. He is a Manchester United fan and joins the FourFourTwo team at an interesting time for his club and the game as a whole.
